A clear sign Cody Gakpo is coming to Tottenham
Well, Roberto De Zerbi may get his utopia after all.
The self-proclaimed "shark" in the transfer market has hunted his prey like a ravenous great white for much of the summer, but had been left frustrated by the lack of meat on the bone in regards to Spurs' search to bolster its attack.
After what felt like 17 years of negotiations, compromises and tedious updates from a litany of guessing sources, Sávio finally got the move he's long been pining for. Never before has anyone in the history of soccer seemingly wanted to play for a club more than the Brazilian winger and Spurs. He did grow up on Gilberto, Sandro and Paulinho after all.
Saturday's defeat at Brentford sparked further activity, and we're expecting confirmation of Omar Marmoush's arrival at any moment. The Egyptian will sign on an initial loan with a £60m obligation to buy, including add-ons.
In short order, Spurs' raw and hurt frontline has drastically improved. Sávio's credentials were laid out on debut, and we're likely to see Marmoush at some point on Saturday evening when Newcastle United visit N17. However, the club's attacking rejig is unlikely to conclude with the second Manchester City addition.
Tottenham are a step closer to signing Cody Gakpo
For a little while, it seemed like Spurs' chances of snagging Cody Gakpo were remote. The Dutchman has been utilised as if there's no transfer intrigue, and he scored in Liverpool's 2–2 draw at Newcastle on Sunday.
However, the Reds' breakthrough in negotiations for Bradley Barcola offers De Zerbi hope of landing his third muskateer. Liverpool, who are also chasing Ismaïla Sarr, would only consider parting ways with Gakpo if Andoni Iraola had a maverick Frenchman at his disposal.
The Athletic's David Ornstein reported on Thursday morning that an agreement in principle has been reached with Paris Saint-Germain that could be worth £120m. Details need to be finalised, but the deal is heading in the right direction.
It's good news for De Zerbi, who is the leader of our Gakpo pursuit. I've personally never been particularly enamoured by the Dutchman, but can appreciate that he's a steady forward option who'd be an upgrade on what we have. However, I fear we're going to spend a heck of a lot of money bringing him in, taking our total spend for the summer well beyond the £400m mark. In fact, Liverpool's record from last summer may be under threat.
We can't forget that Man City are also in the race, having parted ways with two forwards/wide players and so far only adding Allan from Palmeiras as mitigation.
